Energy-saving extension device

Abstract

The application provides an energy-saving expansion device, which comprises an uplink port, a power supply interface, a first power supply circuit, a controller, a power-on button, a second power supply circuit, a protocol chip, a first detection circuit, a third power supply circuit and an expansion circuit connected with the uplink port and the second power supply circuit respectively. The first power supply circuit converts the power supply connected with the power supply interface and supplies the controller and the first detection circuit respectively, the third power supply circuit supplies the protocol chip with the power supply inputted from the uplink port of the device to be expanded, and the first detection circuit outputs a first level to the protocol chip according to the device to be expanded connected with the uplink port. The protocol chip feeds back a control signal to the controller according to the first level, and the controller controls the second power supply circuit to supply power to the expansion circuit according to the control signal and the on-off signal of the power-on button. Thus, the power supply connected with the power supply interface and the device to be expanded connected with the uplink port can be powered on only when the power-on button is used, so that the energy-saving effect is achieved.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of computer peripheral electronic products, and in particular to an energy-saving extension device. [Background Technology]

[0002] As we all know, a docking station is an external device designed specifically for laptops. By replicating or even expanding the ports of a laptop, a docking station can give the laptop a charging port, multiple USB ports, and video ports, allowing a laptop with only one Type-C port to connect to multiple accessories or external devices in one go.

[0003] Currently, most docking stations power on automatically upon plugging in power, even if the device to be expanded is not connected. This automatic power-on can lead to excessive power consumption. Furthermore, some docking stations use a button to power on, but this method still results in power consumption even when no device is connected, failing to meet the current societal emphasis on energy conservation.

[0004] Therefore, existing technologies need to be improved and developed. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an energy-saving expansion device to solve the problem of power consumption when existing expansion docks are powered on or when they are used without the device to be expanded connected.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: An energy-saving expansion device includes: an uplink port, a power interface for connecting to a power source, a first power circuit and a first switch circuit electrically connected to the power interface, a controller electrically connected to the first power circuit and the first switch circuit respectively, a power button electrically connected to the controller, a second power circuit electrically connected to the first switch circuit, an expansion circuit electrically connected to the uplink port and the second power circuit respectively, a protocol chip electrically connected to the controller, a first detection circuit electrically connected to the protocol chip and the uplink port respectively, and a third power circuit electrically connected to the uplink port and the protocol chip respectively.

[0007] The first power circuit is used to convert the first power input to the power interface into a second power and then transmit it to the controller and the first detection circuit respectively. The uplink port is used to connect to the device to be expanded and output the third power output from the device to be expanded to the third power circuit. The first detection circuit turns on the third power input from the device to be expanded according to the uplink port and outputs a first level to the protocol chip. The third power circuit converts the input third power into a fourth power and then supplies power to the protocol chip.

[0008] The protocol chip feeds back a control signal to the controller based on a first level. The controller controls the first switching circuit to turn on based on the control signal and the switch signal of the power button. The first switching circuit transmits the first power input from the power interface to the second power circuit, which is used to power the expansion circuit.

[0009] Furthermore, the expansion circuit includes: a multiplexer electrically connected to the uplink port and the second power supply circuit, a video converter electrically connected to the multiplexer and the second power supply circuit, and a first video interface electrically connected to the video converter and the second power supply circuit.

[0010] Furthermore, the expansion circuit also includes: a first hub electrically connected to the multiplexer and the second power supply circuit respectively; a dual-channel digital video output chip electrically connected to the first hub and the second power supply circuit respectively; a second video interface and a video transmitter electrically connected to the dual-channel digital video output chip and the second power supply circuit respectively; and a third video interface electrically connected to the video transmitter and the second power supply circuit respectively.

[0011] Furthermore, the expansion circuit also includes a first USB interface electrically connected to the second power supply circuit and the first hub, respectively.

[0012] Furthermore, the expansion circuit also includes: a second hub electrically connected to the second power supply circuit and the first hub respectively, and a plurality of second USB interfaces electrically connected to the second power supply circuit and the second hub respectively.

[0013] Furthermore, the expansion circuit also includes: an audio chip electrically connected to the second power supply circuit and the second hub respectively, and an audio interface electrically connected to the second power supply circuit and the audio chip respectively.

[0014] Furthermore, the expansion circuit also includes: a network card electrically connected to the first hub, the second hub, and the second power circuit respectively, and a network port electrically connected to the network card and the second power circuit respectively; the first hub is connected to the network card through a USB 3.0 channel, and the second hub is connected to the network card through a USB 2.0 channel.

[0015] Furthermore, the first switching circuit includes a first switching transistor, a second switching transistor, and a third resistor. The source of the first switching transistor is electrically connected to the power interface, the drain of the first switching transistor is electrically connected to the second power circuit, the gate of the first switching transistor is electrically connected to the power interface and the drain of the second switching transistor via the third resistor, the source of the second switching transistor is grounded, and the three terminals of the second switching transistor are connected to the controller.

[0016] The second switch is turned on according to the drive signal of the controller, and the first switch is turned on by pulling down the gate level of the first switch when the second switch is turned on. The first switch is turned on to transmit the first power input from the power interface to the second power circuit.

[0017] Furthermore, the first detection circuit includes a third switch, a first resistor, and a second resistor. The first power supply circuit is connected to the drain of the third switch via a first circuit. The power supply terminal of the uplink port is electrically connected to the gate of the third switch via the second resistor. The source of the third switch is grounded. The drain and gate of the third switch are also electrically connected to the protocol chip.

[0018] The first power supply circuit is used to supply power to the third switching transistor. The third switching transistor turns on according to the third power input from the uplink port and pulls down the level of the detection pin in the protocol chip. The protocol chip outputs a control signal to the controller according to the low level of its own detection pin.

[0019] Furthermore, the power interface is a DC socket.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: Compared with the prior art, this invention utilizes a first power circuit connected to a power interface to power the controller when power is connected to the power interface. A second power circuit connected to the uplink port powers the protocol chip when a device to be expanded is connected to the uplink port. A first detection circuit provides feedback to the protocol chip when a device to be expanded is connected to the uplink port. The protocol chip then sends a control signal to the controller based on this signal, allowing the system to determine if a device to be expanded is connected to the uplink interface. Furthermore, in conjunction with a power button connected to the controller, the controller activates the first switching circuit based on the control signal from the protocol chip and the power button's on / off signal, enabling the second power circuit to output power to the expansion circuit. Therefore, when power is connected to the power interface but no device to be expanded is connected, the expansion circuit and protocol chip do not operate, resulting in energy savings. [Attached Image Description]

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic block diagram of the uplink port and expansion circuit of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram of the power interface and the first switch circuit of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a circuit diagram of the first power supply circuit of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5This is a circuit diagram of the controller of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a circuit diagram of the second detection circuit of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a circuit diagram of the third detection circuit of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a circuit diagram of the first detection circuit of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a circuit diagram of the second switching circuit and the first driving circuit of the present invention.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0030] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0031] Please refer to the appendix. Figure 1-9 An energy-saving extension device is provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] See attached document Figure 1 The energy-saving expansion device includes: an uplink port 11, a power interface 1 for connecting to a power source, a first power circuit 5 and a first switch circuit 2 electrically connected to the power interface 1, a controller 6 electrically connected to the first power circuit 5 and the first switch circuit 2 respectively, a power button 7 electrically connected to the controller 6, a second power circuit 3 electrically connected to the first switch circuit 2, an expansion circuit 4 electrically connected to the uplink port 11 and the second power circuit 3 respectively, a protocol chip 8 electrically connected to the controller 6, a first detection circuit 9 electrically connected to the protocol chip 8 and the uplink port 11 respectively, and a third power circuit 10 electrically connected to the uplink port 11 and the protocol chip 8 respectively.

[0033] The first power supply circuit 5 converts the first power input from the power interface 1 into a second power supply, which is then transmitted to the controller 6 and the first detection circuit 9 respectively. The uplink port 11 connects to the device to be expanded and outputs the third power supply from the device to be expanded to the third power supply circuit 10. The first detection circuit 9 turns on the third power input from the device to be expanded via the uplink port 11 and outputs a first level to the protocol chip 8. The third power supply circuit 10 converts the input third power supply into a fourth power supply and then supplies power to the protocol chip 8. The protocol chip 8 feeds back a control signal to the controller 6 based on the first level. The controller 6 controls the first switch circuit 2 to turn on based on the control signal and the switch signal detected by the power button 7. The first switch circuit 2 transmits the first power input from the power interface 1 to the second power supply circuit 3, which supplies power to the expansion circuit 4.

[0034] This invention utilizes a first power circuit 5 connected to a power interface 1 to power the controller 6 when power is connected to the power interface 1. A third power circuit 10 connected to an uplink port 11 powers the protocol chip 8 when a device to be expanded is connected to the uplink port 11. A first detection circuit 9 provides a feedback signal to the protocol chip 8 when a device to be expanded is connected to the uplink port 11. The protocol chip 8 then sends a control signal to the controller 6 based on this signal, allowing the controller to determine if a device to be expanded is connected to the uplink interface. Furthermore, a power button 7 connected to the controller 6 enables the controller to control the first switching circuit 2 to conduct based on the control signal from the protocol chip 8 and the on / off signal from the power button 7, thus providing power output from the second power circuit 3 to the expansion circuit 4. Therefore, when power is connected to the power interface 1 but no device to be expanded is connected, the expansion circuit 4 and the protocol chip 8 do not operate, achieving energy saving and solving the problem of existing expansion docks that automatically power on upon connection or consume power when using a button without a device to be expanded.

[0035] Specifically, in one embodiment, the power interface 1 can be a DC socket or a USB-C interface, the uplink port 11 is a USB-C interface, the protocol chip 8 can be a chip of model VL102 or VL103, and the controller 6 can be an EN8F type chip, such as the EN8F202 model chip.

[0036] See attached document Figure 3 In one embodiment, the first switching circuit 2 includes a first switching transistor Q9, a second switching transistor Q10, and a third resistor R304. The source of the first switching transistor Q9 is electrically connected to the power interface 1, and the drain of the first switching transistor Q9 is electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 3. The gate of the first switching transistor Q9 is electrically connected to the power interface 1 and the drain of the second switching transistor Q10 via the third resistor R304. The source of the second switching transistor Q10 is grounded, and the transistor Q10 is connected to the controller 6. The first switching transistor Q9 is a P-channel MOSFET, and the second switching transistor Q10 is an n-channel MOSFET. When power is input at power interface 1, the gate of the first switching transistor Q9 is at a high level and not conducting. When the controller 6 outputs a high level to the gate of the second switching transistor Q10 according to the control signal and the switch signal detected by the power button 7, the second switching transistor Q10 is turned on, which pulls down the voltage of the gate of the first switching transistor Q9, causing the first switching transistor Q9 to be turned on. The first switching transistor Q9 is turned on to transmit the first power input from power interface 1 to the second power circuit 3, thereby powering on the expansion circuit 4 and realizing the power-on.

[0037] See attached document Figure 8In one embodiment, the first detection circuit 9 includes a third switch Q22, a first resistor R839, and a second resistor R840. The first power supply circuit 5 is connected to the drain of the third switch Q22 via a first circuit. The power supply terminal of the uplink port 11 is electrically connected to the gate of the third switch Q22 via the second resistor R840. The source of the third switch Q22 is grounded. Both the drain and gate of the third switch Q22 are also electrically connected to the protocol chip 8. The second switch Q10 is an n-channel MOS transistor.

[0038] When power interface 1 is connected to a power source, the drain of the third switching transistor Q22 is powered through the first power circuit 5. When the uplink port 11 is connected to the device to be expanded, the gate of the third switching transistor Q22 is at a high level, which pulls down the level of the pin connected to the first resistor R839 of the protocol chip 8. Based on the level of this pin, the protocol chip 8 outputs a control signal to the controller 6.

[0039] See attached document Figure 9 In one embodiment, the energy-saving extension device further includes a second switching circuit 12, a first driving circuit 13, a second detection circuit 14, and a third detection circuit 15. The second switching circuit 12 is electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 3, the third power supply circuit 10, and the first driving circuit 13, respectively. The first driving circuit 13 is electrically connected to the protocol chip 8.

[0040] Specifically, the first driving circuit 13 includes a fourth switch Q7, and the second switching circuit 12 includes a fifth switch Q3 and a sixth switch Q6. Both the fifth switch Q3 and the sixth switch Q6 are P-channel MOSFETs, and the fourth switch Q7 is an n-channel MOSFET. The drain of the fifth switch Q3 is electrically connected to the uplink port 11, and the source of the fifth switch Q3 is electrically connected to its own gate, the source of the sixth switch Q6, and the gate of the sixth switch Q6. The drain of the sixth switch Q6 is electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 3. The drain of the fourth switch Q7 is connected to the gate of the fifth switch Q3, its source is grounded, and its gate is connected to the protocol chip 8. The sources of the fifth switch Q3 and the sixth switch Q6 are connected to the third power supply circuit 10.

[0041] See attached document Figure 6 and attached Figure 7 The second detection circuit 14 includes a fourth resistor R43 and a fifth resistor R44, and the third detection circuit 15 includes a sixth resistor R49 and a seventh resistor R50. The power supply terminal VBUS of the uplink port 11 is grounded sequentially through the fourth resistor R43 and the fifth resistor R44. The output terminal of the fourth resistor R43 is connected to the protocol chip 8. The output terminal of the second power supply circuit 3 is grounded sequentially through the sixth resistor R49 and the seventh resistor R50. The output terminal of the sixth resistor R49 is connected to the protocol chip 8.

[0042] When the device to be expanded is connected to the uplink port 11, the power input from the device is transmitted to the third power circuit 10 via the power terminal VBUS of the uplink port 11 and the diode of the fifth switch Q3 to power the protocol chip 8. The first voltage, obtained by voltage division by the fourth resistor R43, is then output to the protocol chip 8. The protocol chip 8 also detects the power output of the connected device based on the magnitude of the first voltage and drives the fourth switch Q7 to conduct, causing the fifth switch Q3 to conduct. This means the power output from the second power supply will charge the device to be expanded via the diode on the sixth switch Q6, the fifth switch Q3, and the uplink port 11. Additionally, the second voltage, obtained by voltage division by the sixth resistor R49, is output to the protocol chip 8. The protocol chip 8 also detects the power output of the second power circuit 3 based on the magnitude of the second voltage and controls the duty cycle of the fourth switch Q7 based on this voltage. Based on this, it controls the duty cycle of the fifth switch Q3 to determine the charging power for the device to be expanded.

[0043] See attached document Figure 2 In one embodiment, the expansion circuit 4 includes: a multiplexer 41 electrically connected to the uplink port 11 and the second power supply circuit 3; a video converter 45 electrically connected to the multiplexer 41 and the second power supply circuit 3; and a first video interface 451 electrically connected to the video converter 45 and the second power supply circuit 3. The first video interface 451 is used to connect to a display, and the multiplexer 41 is used to transmit the video signal output from the uplink port 11 to the first video interface 451 via the video converter 45, so as to enable playback on the display, thereby expanding the video interface.

[0044] Specifically, the video converter 45 is used to convert the DP signal input to the multiplexer 41 into an HDMI signal; the first video interface 451 is an HDMI port.

[0045] In one embodiment, the expansion circuit 4 further includes: a first hub 42 electrically connected to the multiplexer 41 and the second power supply circuit 3 respectively; a dual-channel digital video output chip 46 electrically connected to the first hub 42 and the second power supply circuit 3 respectively; a second video interface 461 and a video transmitter 47 electrically connected to the dual-channel digital video output chip 46 and the second power supply circuit 3 respectively; and a third video interface 471 electrically connected to the video transmitter 47 and the second power supply circuit 3 respectively.

[0046] The multiplexer 41 transmits the USB signal output from the uplink port 11 to the first hub 42. The first hub 42 expands the input USB signal into four USB signals, specifically, each USB signal includes a USB 2.0 signal and a USB 3.0 signal. One USB signal is output to the dual-channel digital video output chip 46, which outputs the input USB signal from the video transmitter 47 to the third video interface 471. The dual-channel digital video output chip 46 also outputs the input USB signal from the second video interface 461, thus expanding the two video interfaces. Specifically, the dual-channel digital video output chip 46 can be a DL3900 chip, the video transmitter 47 can be a DP501 chip, the second video interface 461 is an HDMI interface, and the third video interface 471 is a DP interface, thus expanding the HDMI and DP interfaces for user convenience.

[0047] In one embodiment, the expansion circuit 4 further includes a plurality of first USB interfaces 421 electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 3 and the first hub 42, respectively. There are two first USB interfaces 421, both being USB-A interfaces, and the first hub 42 supplies two sets of USB signals to the two USB-A interfaces respectively. The first USB interfaces 421 can be used to connect external devices such as printers and USB flash drives.

[0048] In one embodiment, the expansion circuit 4 further includes: a second hub 44 electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 3 and the first hub 42, and a plurality of second USB interfaces 441 electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 3 and the second hub 44, respectively. The first hub 42 supplies USB 2.0 signals to the second hub 44, and the second hub 44 is used to expand the input USB 2.0 signals into four sets of USB 2.0 signals. There are two second USB interfaces 441, and the second hub 44 supplies two sets of USB 2.0 signals to the two second USB interfaces 441 respectively. Specifically, the second USB interfaces 441 are USB-A interfaces.

[0049] In one embodiment, the expansion circuit 4 further includes: an audio chip 48 electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 3 and the second hub 44, and an audio interface 481 electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 3 and the audio chip 48. The second hub 44 supplies a set of USB 2.0 signals to the audio chip 48, thereby expanding the audio interface 481.

[0050] In one embodiment, the expansion circuit 4 further includes: a network card 43 electrically connected to the first hub 42, the second hub 44, and the second power circuit 3, respectively, and a network port 431 electrically connected to the network card 43 and the second power circuit 3, respectively. The first hub is connected to the network card 43 via a USB 3.0 channel, and the second hub 44 is connected to the network card 43 via a USB 2.0 channel.

[0051] Among them, network card 43 is a gigabit network card 43. The second hub 44 provides a set of USB 2.0 signals to network card 43, and the first hub 42 provides a set of USB 3.0 signals to network card 43, in order to adapt to the use of gigabit network card 43. And network port 431 is used to connect network cable to improve the computer's network speed and facilitate user use.

[0052] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An energy saving extension device, characterized by, The application relates to a power supply interface expansion device, which comprises: an uplink port for connecting a power supply interface; a first power supply circuit and a first switch circuit electrically connected to the power supply interface; a controller electrically connected to the first power supply circuit and the first switch circuit; a start-up button electrically connected to the controller; a second power supply circuit electrically connected to the first switch circuit; an expansion circuit electrically connected to the uplink port and the second power supply circuit; a protocol chip electrically connected to the controller; a first detection circuit electrically connected to the protocol chip and the uplink port; and a third power supply circuit electrically connected to the uplink port and the protocol chip. The first power supply circuit is used for converting a first power supply input from the power supply interface into a second power supply and then transmitting the second power supply to the controller and the first detection circuit; the uplink port is used for connecting an expansion device and outputting a third power supply output from the expansion device to the third power supply circuit; the first detection circuit is turned on according to the third power supply input from the expansion device through the uplink port and outputs a first level to the protocol chip; and the third power supply circuit converts the input third power supply into a fourth power supply and then supplies power to the protocol chip. The protocol chip feeds back a control signal to the controller according to the first level; the controller controls the first switch circuit to be turned on according to the control signal and a switch signal of the start-up button; the first switch circuit transmits the first power supply input from the power supply interface to the second power supply circuit; the second power supply circuit is used for supplying power to the expansion circuit; the first switch circuit comprises a first switch tube, a second switch tube and a third resistor; the source of the first switch tube is electrically connected to the power supply interface; the drain of the first switch tube is electrically connected to the second power supply circuit; the gate of the first switch tube is electrically connected to the power supply interface and the drain of the second switch tube through the third resistor; the source of the second switch tube is grounded; and the three poles of the second switch tube are connected to the controller. The second switch tube is turned on according to the driving signal of the controller; the first switch tube is turned on according to the second switch tube, which pulls down the voltage level of the gate of the first switch tube; the first switch tube is used for transmitting the first power supply input from the power supply interface to the second power supply circuit; the first detection circuit comprises a third switch tube, a first resistor and a second resistor; the first power supply circuit is connected to the drain of the third switch tube through the first resistor; the power supply end of the uplink port is electrically connected to the gate of the third switch tube through the second resistor; the source of the third switch tube is grounded; and the drain and the gate of the third switch tube are both electrically connected to the protocol chip. The first power supply circuit is used for supplying power to the third switch tube; the third switch tube is turned on according to the third power supply input from the uplink port and pulls down the voltage level of the detection pin in the protocol chip; and the protocol chip outputs a control signal to the controller according to the low voltage level of the detection pin. The expansion circuit comprises a multiplexer electrically connected to the uplink port and the second power supply circuit, a video converter electrically connected to the multiplexer and the second power supply circuit, and a first video interface electrically connected to the video converter and the second power supply circuit.

2. The energy saving extension device of claim 1, wherein, ​ 3. The energy saving extension device of claim 2, wherein, The extension circuit further comprises a first hub electrically connected with the multiplexer and the second power supply circuit respectively, a double-channel digital video output chip electrically connected with the first hub and the second power supply circuit respectively, a second video interface and a video transmitter electrically connected with the double-channel digital video output chip and the second power supply circuit respectively, and a third video interface electrically connected with the video transmitter and the second power supply circuit respectively.

4. The energy saving extension device of claim 3, wherein, The extension circuit further comprises a first USB interface electrically connected with the second power supply circuit and the first hub respectively.

5. The energy saving extension device of claim 4, wherein, The extension circuit further comprises a second hub electrically connected with the second power supply circuit and the first hub respectively, and a plurality of second USB interfaces electrically connected with the second power supply circuit and the second hub respectively.

6. The energy saving extension device of claim 5, wherein, The extension circuit further comprises an audio chip electrically connected with the second power supply circuit and the second hub respectively, and an audio interface electrically connected with the second power supply circuit and the audio chip respectively.

7. The energy saving extension device of claim 6, wherein, The extension circuit further comprises a network card electrically connected with the first hub, the second hub and the second power supply circuit respectively, and a network port electrically connected with the network card and the second power supply circuit respectively; the first hub is connected with the network card through a USB3.0 channel, and the second hub is connected with the network card through a USB2.0 channel.

8. The energy saving extension set according to claim 1, wherein, The power interface is a DC socket.

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